Continued coverage

No program benefitted more from the recent cycle of re-leaguing and division re-alignment than St. Francis.

The Golden Knights, who were 10-3 and advanced to the Western Division semifinals last season, go from a team capable of making runs at league and divisional champions to the front runner for both.

St. Francis lost quarterback Ty Gangi and most of its offensive line to graduation, but there are still some key pieces back, including receiver Dylan Crawford and tight end/linebacker John Carroll. They are the top two players in the league going into the season and Crawford is becoming one of the top receiver recruits on the West Coast.

The Golden Knights also are strengthened by running back Areg Nazarian and defensive backs Avery and Mason Williams.

“It’s definitely a different position for us to be in, especially when the experts pick us to win the league when we haven’t taken a snap,” St. Francis coach Jim Bonds said. “That hasn’t been the case in the past few years. It’s a different position for us, and we’re going to have to be very careful with our guys that they are not reading the press clippings, the blogs and buying into that.”

The rest of the league are no pushovers. Cathedral challenged for the top spot in the Mission two years ago; Salesian won the Northeast Division last season and La Salle has won 19 games in the past two seasons while winning back-to-back Del Rey League titles.

Bottom line: St. Francis looks primed for a championship run. They have enough key pieces back to compete for league and divisional titles. If its inexperience adapts quickly, it could be a banner season.

Bottom line: The Phantoms fell off a bit from two years ago, but Poe and Haney could create havoc for opposing coaches. They have the offense to compete, but their success will depend on their defense.

Bottom line: The Mustangs rolled to the Northeast Division title last season. But the question is, this step up in class might be a bit too much in one year. There is enough talent to compete. Time will tell.

6. St. Paul

Bottom line: St. Paul is still in recovery mode. While improvement could be seen this season, the Swordsmen are still a bit away from competing for a top spot.

IMPACT PLAYERS

Dyan Crawford, St. Francis, WR, Jr.

Crawford had a breakout season as a sophomore, ranking among area leaders in receptions, yards and touchdowns. He’s considered one of the top receiving recruits on the West Coast, and is a big reason St. Francis is highly rated this season.

John Carroll, St. Francis, TE/MLB, Sr.

Carroll is just a good football player who performs on offense and defense. On offense, he’s arguably the area’s top tight end. On defense, he’s a linebacker who is usually around the ball.

BEST OF THE REST

Avery Williams, St. Francis, DB, Jr. — Led St. Francis with 4 INTs

Areg Nazarian, St. Francis, RB, Jr. — Ran for 600 yards in back-up role in 2013

Brody Felchoau, St. Francis, DL/TE, Sr. — Two-year starter

Kareem Zeenni, St. Francis, K, Sr. — Made 33 of 33 PATs

Will Pyburn, La Salle, QB, Jr. — Threw for 1,500 yards and 17 TDs

Nate Chandler, La Salle, LB, Sr. — Force in the middle

M.C. Poe, Cathedral, QB, Sr. — Threw for 1,300 yards and 13 TDs

Jeremy Kelly, Salesian, WR, Sr. — All-CIF receiver

Kyahva Tezino, Salesian, DB, Sr. — All-CIF defender

Jacob Maier, St. Paul, QB, Sr. — Swordsmen’s top option

QUOTE WORTHY

“It takes a lot of hard work and some luck, as far as staying healthy to (win the league). And we did lose a lot of key guys from last year. But we have a great deal of skilled guys back.”